Device for indicating the printing-point on type-writers.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

F. P. SHEPARD. DEVICE FOR INDIOATING THE PRINTING POINT ON TYPE WRITERS. APPLICATION FILED APB.- 4.1904.

No. 837,588. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906. P. P. SHEPARD. DEVICE FOR INDIOATING THE PRINTING POINT 0N TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 190%.

2 SHEET$-SHBET 2,

fizz/608 571 Ema 122? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. SHEPARD, OF EDMOND, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY, ASSIGN OR TO THE OLIVER TYPEWRITER COMPANY,

PORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR INDICATING THE PRINTING-POINT ON TYPE-WRITERS..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nee-4, 1908.

Application filed April 4, 1904. Serial-No. 201,464.

To all who? it may concern:

Be it knownv that I, FRANK P. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edmond, in the'coun'ty of Oklahoma and Territory ,of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Devices for Indica the Printing-Point on Type-Writers; and do hereby declare that the followmg is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accom a-' nying drawings, and to the letters of re erence marked'thereon, which form a part of this s ecification.

Th1s invention relates to an improved attachment for type-writers, and it relates more especially to a device for indicating to the eye the point upon which the type strikes the paper.

The invention is more especially applicable to'type-writers of that kind known as the Oliver, but is adapted for use in other' forms of visible-writing machines. or those on which the printing-point is. yisible to the operator during the progress of the printing.

This invention may be more readily understood byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view showing in central ver I tical section some of the principal parts of an Oliver type-writer equip ed with my improvement. Fig: 2 is a p an view of an attachment embodying my invention,.to ether with a ribbon-guide, platen, and sea ebar such as are ordinarily used in an Oliver typewrit' machine; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken upon line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan section taken upon line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5

- is a pers ective view showing the upper portion of t e supporting-arm by which is sustained the ri bonshifting devices of an Oliver type-writer. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the parts embodying my invention detached from said supporting-arm to v which they are normallysecured.

ig. 7 is a face view of the under side of the device illustrated in Fig. 6.

- As shown in the drawings, Fig. 1-, A indicates the platen; B, the scale-bar; O, the reciprocating ribbon-guide; L, oneof the typebars; M, a key-lever; N, a connecting-rod joining the key-lever with the type-bar; O,.

the universal bar, and P the ribbon-guide-ac- .tuating lever. connected with the universal bar by a link Q, havin at its lower enda slot g, which is engaged y a' stud 0 with the universal bar. Said ribbon-guide. has two guide-loops c 0, through which pass the inking-ribbon, and it has 'a horizontal move-. ment toward and from-the platen, so as to carry the ribbon over the printing-point and away from the same. D indicates the sup-- porting-arm for the ribbonguide'-actuating devices located in front of the platen and provided witha base-plate D E is a crank-shaft which is mounted upon and extends horizon- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR- tally across the top of the base-plate D andis mounted in two 1 s d d, which rise from said base-plate. Sai crank-shaft E is provided with an upwardly-extending rigid arm E, having pivotal connection at its upper end with the ribbon-guide C. Said crank shaft is also rovided with a crank e, tow. is .connecte a vertically-reciprocating ating-rod F, which is pivoted at its low to the lever P and through which'oscilla motion is given to the crankshaft E and the ribbon-guide.

said ribbon-guide is connected with the'base- The-forward or outer end of plate D by means of a link G, which is ,pivoted-at its upper end to the said ribbonide and at its lower end to lugs d d on the aseplate D, said link being parallel with the arm E and serving to maintain the ribbon-.

the turning of the said shaft H. Said in eating-arm stands normally at right les to theplaten or printing-line, with its 'ee end or po' opposite'or in line with the printing-p0 t, but is adapted to be swung aterally away from the printingoint' at each stroke of the type-bar's, so that it will at such times be out of the 'wayof and will not interferewith thetypes in making the im-- pressiom; .Mqunted:on thesaid base plate D a devices shown are'like those heretofore used to the Ward the printing-point Is is a horizontal rock-shaftI, which extendsin a direction parallelwith the platen nearthe ,lower end of said rock-shaft V The rock-shaft I is provided with an upwardly-- extending rigid arm i, .while the rock-shaft H is provided with a laterally-extending arm ,h, adapted for contact with the freev end of the arm i; Said horizontal rock-shaft I is also provided with a horizontally-extending actuating-arm it, which extendsnover and,

bears upon the upper end of the crank-arm e of the rock-shaft E. These'partsjare'so a1 ranged that at the time the actuating-rod F rises, thereby swingingthe end of the crank- .a'rm e upwardly, the actuatingarm if will be lifted and the rocleshaftflturn'ed inadired I tion to swing the upp" ends "of the farm i thereoftoward the h i'on the rock sh ait 'H, and thus swing or' m'dt e'the latter ina di'- rection' to carry theiri atingnrm 7} away from the printing-point, I Movement of said rock-shaft a directibh to carry the indieating-arm it in} the'oppdsite direction oritoafi'orded by means lied to act on-said of a spring J," suitablya rock-shaft H. Moverr'i of'said rock-shaft under the actionof spring J is limited by'means of the stop-arm h on said shaft,

,fw'hich arm is adapted for contact with .ad-

jaee'nt stationary arts, so a's to' hold the said armnormally at t e'prhiting-point.

In the particular construction herein'shown the rock-shafts H and I are moun'tedon a. "separate bent plate K, which constitutes a base or support forthe several parts through which the indicating-arm. is actuated and which is adapted for connection withthe base-plate D ,wI ich'is usually present on an Oliver type writer. Said bent plate 'Kis shownas having a base portion 7a, which fits upon the top of the base-plate D and an up right part 7c, adjacent to the platen. Said base-I portionlc is provided with screw-holes .k 76 through which may be inserted screws it which enter the base-plate D and serve to.

secure the'plate K to 'said'base-plate. The

said base portion 7c of the bent plate K'is shown as'proyided with a notch k the sides or which straddle the'lugs d on said base plate and serve to thedateK. H P T e rock-shaft H is mounted in the plate hold in place and steady K'as follows: The lower end of said rockshaft passes through a bearing-aperture in f ss" the horizontal base portion 76 of said plate,

"while the upper part of said rock-shaft has bearing in an outwardly or forwardly extending lug k formed onthe upper margin of the upright part 7c"'ofsaid plate K. The '5 Tang J in this construction is coiled around 1 t slower end of the rock-shaft H, which projects below thebase part and bears against 01"18 connected at its free end with a pinsecured in the saidbase-plate, as clearlylseen length that its point will extend to the lower edgeof the printed line, the same reaching somewhat beyond the rear edge of the scalebar; In the operation of the machine as the actuating-rod Emdves upwardly, this movement alwaystakingplace as thetype-iarm is swung toward the platen, the arm i is moved upwardly, thereby rocking the shaft I and through-the connection described also moves the shaft H so as toswing the indicator-arm hawayfrom the printing-point, as shown in dotted linesin Fig.2. When the actuatingr'oddr'ops'b ack to its normal position, however, the indicating-arm returnsto a position at right angles to the platen, with'its point opposite or in line with the printing-point. In other words, in the normal condition of the parts the end of the indicating-arm. will:

indicate exactly where the type will strike on thenext "stroke but when the ribbon is carrie'd over the'printingpoint "and the impact of the type occurs then the indicating-arm is swung away from its normal position and will not interfere with thejstroke of the type platen in the making'of the im against the pression.

In the Oliver t e-writer machine as here tcfore constructe the printing-point cithe type is indicated on the platen-bya StittlOIhary arm which extends transversely of the, 1

platen overthe latter and the graduated scale-bar. This arm cannot be set to register' exactly with the printing-point, because its-location in-position to do so would interfere withthe striking of the type against the platen. The said armis therefore placed a shortdistance to one side of the-printingpoint, with the result that it is somewhat diflicult for even a trained eye to determine the exact printing-point with any consider-v abledegreeof accuracy. 3 By my construction, as aboye described, the above. objec tions to the indicating-arm as heretofore con structed are entirely avoided,it being obvious that when the indicating-arm h is in its normal position or at times other than when the printing strokes are being made and-the ribbon is advanced over" the printing-point said indicating arm will always point exactly' to the'printing-point and will enable the position of the same to be exactly determined.

I It will be seen that the-device describedis cheap and simple of construction, will not readily get out of order, and can be readily 'I applied to an Oliyer type-writer or other typewriter of similar character So far as the broader aspects of my invention are concerned the indicating-arm h may bemoved out of the path of the type by and provided with a laterally-swinging indimanner than here icatingarm which ro'ects over the platen, a spring ap lied to 01 the indicating-arm in its'norma position andconnections between the said rock-shaft and the ribbonuide whereby the indicating-arm is thrown laterally from its normal position when the ribbonguide is advanced over the platen.

2. The combination-with a platen, a horizontally-movable ribbon-guide, a supportingarm for the ribbonguide which rises in front of the platen, and actuating means for the ribbon-guide including a horizontal rockshaft provided with a crank-arm and an u right connectingrod engaging said cranliarm, of an upright rock-shaft mounted on the supporting-arm and provided with a laterally-swin ing indicating-arm which projects over the platen, a spring holding the indicating-arm in its normal position, a second rock-shaft provided with a crank-arm to which oscillatory motion is transmitted from the said connecting-rod, and operative connections between said second horizontal shaft and the said upright shaft whereby osciilatory movement is transmitted from one to the other. i

3. The combination with a platen and a supporting-arm rising in front of the platen,

of an upright rock-shaft provided with an indicating-arm which extends over the platen,

and with a stop-arm, a second rock-shaft arranged at right angles to the first one and pro vided with a rigid actuating-arm, said rock shafts having arms which engage each other,

aspring acting on the upright rock-shaft to throw the indicating arm toward the printingoiilt, and a reciprocating member 0 erate by a part of the type-writing mac. 'ne

which is moved in printing and which acts on the said actuating-arm of the second rockshaft.

4. In a type-writing machine, the combination of an automatically-actuated ribbon vibrat0r,- a printing-point indicator independent of said vibrator and normally in the indicating position, and means for automatically moving said indicator away from the indicating position whenthe vibrator moves the ribbon to the print1ngpo1nt.

5. In a type-Writing machine, the GODlblnation of an autoniatically-actuated ribbonvibrator and an automatioally-actuated printing-point indicator independent of said vibrator and normally in the indicating position and adapted to be moved to the non-indicating position by the means for actuating the ribbon-vibrator.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I a'iiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses. this 28th day of March A. D. 1904.

FRANK P; SHEPARD.

Witnesses:

J. H. HUBBLE, R. KIBBY. 

